Web Host Faces Potential Contributory Trademark Liability–Louis Vuitton v. Akanoc
By Eric Goldman Louis Vuitton Malletier, S.A. v. Akanoc Solutions, Inc., C 07-03952 JW (N.D. Cal. Dec. 23, 2008) This is one of countless anti-counterfeiting actions by luxury brands against allegedly infringing websites—but the twist is that the brand owner…
Brand Spillovers Article Now Available
By Eric Goldman I have finally posted my article, Brand Spillovers, to SSRN. It will be published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology later this year. I have blogged about this project several times over the past 4…
Rip-off Report Rolls to Another Win–GW Equity v. Xcentric Ventures
By Eric Goldman GW Equity LLC v. Xcentric Ventures LLC, 2009 WL 62173 (N.D.Tex. Jan. 9, 2009) I previously blogged about this case in October when the magistrate judge issued his report and recommendations finding that Rip-off Report was immune…
47 USC 230 Talk for Businesspeople
By Eric Goldman As I mentioned in my previous post, I will be speaking tonight in Sacramento about 47 USC 230. The audience will have a heavy component of businesspeople mixed among the lawyers. Although I’ve spoken frequently about 230,…
December 2008 Quick Links, Part 1
By Eric Goldman Copyright * Stockwire Research Group, Inc. v. Lebed, 577 F .Supp. 2d 1262 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 18, 2008). $2.5M default judgment for violation of anti-circumvention provisions. * The RIAA announced that it is shifting away from suing…
Veoh Gets Another Nice 512(c) Win–UMG v. Veoh
By Eric Goldman UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc., 2008 WL 5423841 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 29, 2008) Last year, in Io v. Veoh, online video sharing site Veoh got a significant win under the DMCA online safe harbors (17…
Doe v. SexSearch Affirmed by 6th Circuit, But Not on 230 Grounds
By Eric Goldman Doe v. SexSearch.com, 2008 WL 5396830 (6th Cir. Dec. 30, 2008) I previously summarized this case as follows: Defendants operate a website that helps people hook up to have sex. Roe posted a profile saying that she…
MySpace Defeats Sherman Antitrust Claim for Blocking Links to Competitor–LiveUniverse v. MySpace
By Eric Goldman LiveUniverse, Inc. v. MySpace, Inc., 2008 WL 5341843 (9th Cir. Dec. 22, 2008). The June 2007 district court ruling in MySpace’s favor. LiveUniverse’s Nov. 2006 press release upon filing the lawsuit. LiveUniverse runs VidiLife.com, which it characterizes…
Stress-Relieving Company Gets Anti-SLAPPed Per 230
By Eric Goldman Higher Balance, LLC v. Quantum Future Group, Inc., 2008 WL 5281487 (D.Or. Dec. 18, 2008). The defendants’ (lengthy) celebratory blog post. If you’re a 47 USC 230 junkie like me, there are few better Christmas gifts than…
Lawsuit Over Google Ads for Mobile Services Dismissed Per 230–Goddard v. Google
By Eric Goldman Goddard v. Google, Inc., 2008 WL 5245490 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 17, 2008). My initial post when the complaint was filed. The Justia page. Goddard sued Google because Google displayed third party AdWords ads for allegedly fraudulent mobile…